Gas-operated, manually cocked shooting device



Aug. 10, 1965 J, BEYRTSCHINGER GAS-OPERATED, MANUALLY COCKED SHOOTING DEVICE Filed Dec. 30. 1960 United States Patent() 3,199,501 GAS-OPERATED, MANUALLY COCKED SHOOTING DEVICE i Iakobliertschinger, im Hof,lbenzbnrg, Switzerland Filed Dec. 30, 1960,'Ser. No. 79,825` Y Claims priority, application Switzerland, Dec. 31, 1959,

4 claims.. icl. 124-11)` j My invention relates to a gas-operated rie yor the like` shooting device which is operated by gas pressure fromv a pressure accumulator,` for 'example 'by compressed air shooting trigger protrudes downwardly within the area of a protective loop-shaped stirrup.

Relative to Vsuch shooting devices, numerous designs have become known with respect to the constructionand actuation of the force-storer cocking lever. 'For example, there are cocking levers which normally extend alongthe barrel or butt of the shooting device and which'must'be turned laterally, downwardly or yupwardly ofthe barrel for charging l'the force storer, `the pivot point of the cocking lever being near the frontor at the rear of the shooting device. `As a rule, the cocking lever, after being turned awayfrom the barrel, must be `manually returned to the starting position. Also known are cocking levers which, similar to the latching handleof .a carb-ine, protrude laterally or upwardlyout of the shooting device and which must be actuated by axial motion for charging the force storer.

IThe charging of the force storer in these known devices requires takingthe shooting device away from the aiming position that it may have previously occupied. -In most cases the rieman must also change his position so that after each charging he must again seek the most favorable posture required for aiming. Such shooting devices are not suitable for precision shooting of individual shots as performed with special bullets, for example the so-called Dia-bolo bullets.

It is an object of my invention to eliminate the abovementioned disadvantages.

According to my invention, the charging lever for the force storer of a gas-operate-d 'shooting device .is pivoted 4at the trigger housing and is provided with a trigger-like cocking member that protrudes downwardly from the shooting device within the 4space surrounded by the conventional protective stirrup where .the shot-releasing trigger is likewise located. For charging the force storer the cocking trigger is to be pulled back substantially in the same manner as the shot-releasing trigger. In` such a device the cocking trigger is close to the shot-releasing trigger, and the cocking mot-ion required for charging the force storer can be imparted to the cocking trigger with the same -nger that is used `for subsequently actuating the shooting trigger, without requiring the' shooting device to be removed from the .previous aiming posit-ion.

The invention will be further described with reference to the embodiment of a pressure-gas operated rifle shown by way of example on the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates in section the middle portion of the rifle with the cocking and shooting mechanisms, and FIG. 2 is a cross section along the line Il-II in FIG. 1.

Patented Aug. 1G, 1965 2 The illustrated shooting device comprises a cylindrical casing 1 whose front end is rigidly connected withV the barrel 2. The casing 1 encloses the force storer and the gas-outlet valve; Located behind the outlet valve within the same casing 1 is a pressure chamber 3 for receiving a pressure-gas cartridge or capsule. The gas-outlet valve is designed as acheck valve and comprises a sleeve 4 concentrically mounted in the casing 1 and in threaded engagement therewith, a sealing gasket 5 being disposed between a shoulder portion of the sleeve 4 and the threadj ed seat of the vbarrel 2. The valve Vmember proper consists of a valve. screw 6 which together with another seal-l ing gasket 7 is screwed into the front end of the sleeve 4 and has a Valve bore 8. The valve further comprises a dis'c 9 with a press-tted sealing ring lil-and a valveV spring 11.' The valve disc 9 is attached to the rear end of a longitudinally displaceable pusher` tube 12 inserted into the bore `of the barrel 2 andin the valve bore 8. A transverse duct 13 connects the channel 14 of the pusher tube 12 with the valve bore S. The pusher tube 12 has av shoulder 15 whose purpose will become apparent from the following description ofthe operation. The bullet magazine vis located up front in the. non-illustrated portion of the barrel 2, its design and mounting being of no concern to the present invention.

The force storer comprises a spring 16 which abuts against the rear end of the barrel 2 and presses against a striker cylinder 17 longitudinally displaceable in the cas- -ing 1. The striker 17 presses against the shoulder 15 of the pusher turbe -12 ywhen the force-st-orer spring-16 is released. The force of the Valve spring 11 in this condition of the shooting device predominates over the force of'the storing spring 16 and keeps the check valve (e, 7, 8) closed.

The force storer 16, 17 is charged by a cocking lever which is pivotally mounted on` the trigger housing 19 of the shooting device for motion about a pivot pin 2li. The cocking lever 1S forms a cocking trigger 22 located within the space surrounded by the protective stirrup 21. A relturn spring 23 is connected to the cocking lever 18 .and

tends to keep it in the position of rest shown by full lines. A slider 24 transmits the cocking force from lever 18 to the force-storer spring. The slider 24 extends through an opening 25 in the cylindrical casing 1 and is connected with the striker cylinder 17.

The slider 24 terminates inthe trigger housing 19 where it is engageable bythe upper arm of the cocking lever 18. This .arm comprises two limbs 26 which jointly straddle the outside of the trigger housing 19-and whose respective upper ends are connected with each other by a pin 2S. The pin 28 passes through respective elongated slots 27 in the lateral walls of the trigger housing 19. When the cocking lever 18'is being actuated, the middle portion of pin 28 engages the rear end of the slider 24 to push the slider in the forward direction.

The shooting trigger 29 is pivotally mounted on a pin 30 in the trigger housing 19 and has an upper block portion 31 with a nose 32 for cooperation with a trigger pawl 33. The bottom side of the slider 24 has a catch recess, 34 normally engaged by the trigger pawl 33 for latching the force storer. The trigger pawl 33 constitutes a doublearmed lever whose pivot 35 is located away from its center of gravity s0 that the pawl 33 is turned by gravity in the clockwise direction (FIG. l) and thus engages the catch recess 34.

For charging the force storer 16, 17 the cocking lever 18 is pulled back by .actuating its trigger portion 22. Then the connecting pin 28 at the upper end of the cocking lever 18 pushes against the slider 24 and thus shifts the slider as well as the striker cylinder 17 forward. This stresses the force-storer spring 16. At the end of the cocking motion, the catch 34 of slider 24 is located forward to such an extent that the trigger pawl 33, under gravity bias, drops into the catch 34 while the shooting device may still be kept in proper aiming and shooting position. The cocking lever 18, the slider 24 and the trigger pawl 33 now occupy the position illustrated by dot-and-dash lines in FIG. 1.

When the cocking trigger 22 'is released, the return spring 23 pulls the cocking lever 18 back to the position of rest, whereas the force storer remains latched in charged condition by engagement of trigger pawl 33 with catch 34.

When the shooting trigger 29 is being actuated, the force storer 16, 17 is released due to the fact that the trigger pawl 33 glides out of the catch 34 under the action of the nose 32 now pushing upwardly. The force-storer spring then tlings the striker cylinder 17 to the rear where it hits against the shoulder 15. The impact moves the pusher tube 12 a short distance toward the rear, in opposition to the force of the valve spring 11. As .a result, the v-alve disc 9 is `lifted for a short interval of time. The striker cylinder 17 continues traveling to the stop of the slider 24 at the rear end of .the opening 25 in casing 1. Thereafter the valve spring 11 again drives the longitudinally movable parts the above-mentioned short distance forward and closes the gas-outlet valve. During the short-lasting opening interval of the outlet valve the pres-sure gas passes from the pressure chamber 3 through the bore of the sleeve 4, around the valve disc 9, through the valve opening, thence through the transverse duct 13 and the channel 14 of the pusher tube 12 into the bore of the barrel 2 and thus drives the bullet out of the barrel. The bullet may have previously reached the barrel from the magazine (not illustrated) through a lateral bore which becomes uncovered during the return motion of the pusher tube so as to permit a single bullet to drop from the magazine into the barrel.

For subsequent charging the shooting device may r'emain in aiming position. It is merely necessary to again pull the cocking trigger 22 with the same finger that is used for actuating the shooting trigger 29. After each cocking motion the cocking lever automatically returns to its posi-tion of rest.

I claim:

1. A gas-operated manually cocked shooting device, comprising a barrel, a casing joined with said barrel and forming .a gas pressure chamber, a normally closed outlet valve through which said chamber communicates with said barrel, force-storer means for momentarily opening said valve when released, a trigger housing adjacent to said casing at the bottom side thereof, a shooting trigger downwardly protruding from said housing and pivotally movable for releasing said force-storer means, a cocking lever pivotally mounted in said housing and engageable with said storer means, said lever having a trigger-like actuator member protruding downwardly from said housing near said shooting trigger and pullable to the rear for charging said force-storer means, said actuator member being located sutiiciently close to the trigger so that both the actuator member and the .trigger can be operated by the index nger of the shooting hand without changing the position of the shooting hand.

2. A gas-operated manually cocked shooting device, comprising a barrel, a casing joined with said barrel and forming a gas pressure chamber, a normally closed check valve through which said chamber communicates with said barrel, striker means movable parallel tto the barrel axis from a normally inactive position toa position against said valve for momentarily opening it by impact upon release of said striker means, a force-storing spring biasing said striker against said valve means, latch means engageable with said striker means for holding it in anactive position against the force of said spring, a trigger housing adjacent to said casing at the bottom side thereof,

.a shooting trigger downwardly protruding from said housing, said trigger being operatively connected with said latch means and being pivotally movable rearwardly for releasing said latch means from engagement with said striker means to operate said valve, a cocking lever pivotally mounted in said housing land having a trigger-like actuator member protruding downwardly from said housing near said shooting trigger and means connecting said cocking lever to said striker means whereby rearward pulling of said trigger-like `actuator member will charge said force-storer means and move said striker means to said inactive position, said actuator member being located sufficiently close to the trigger so that both .the actuator member and the trigger can be operated by the index iinger of the shooting hand without changing the position of the shooting hand.

3. In a shooting device according to claim 2, said cocking lever having a forked arm whose two parts straddle said trigger housing, .a transverse pin interconnecting said two arm portions at the respective upper .en-ds thereof, said housing having respective slots adjacent said arm portions, said pin extending through said slots and being engageable near its middle with said connecting means.

4. In a shooting device according to claim 2, said latch means comprising a catch on said connecting means and a latch pawl pivotally mounted lin said housing and having a bias V,toward latching engagement with said catch, said shooting trigger being engageable with said pawl for Inoving it out of said catch.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,293,957 8/42 Wells 124-13 2,528,462 10/50 Wells 124-13 2,604,088 7/52 Wells 124-37 X 2,638,884 5/53 Wells 124-13 X 2,641,868 6/53V Langos 46-195 FOREIGN PATENTS 245,601 4/ 12 Germany.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

DELBERT B. LOWE, Examiner. 

1. A GAS-OPERATED MANUALLY COCKED SHOOTING DEVICE, COMPRISING A BARREL, A CASING JOINED WITH SAID BARREL AND FORMING A GAS PRESSURE CHAMBER, A NORMALLY CLOSED OUTLET VALVE THROUGH WHICH SAID CHAMBER COMMUNICATES WITH SAID BARREL, FORCE-STORER MEANS FOR MOMENTARILY OPENING SAID VALVE WHEN RELEASED, A TRIGGER HOUSING ADJACENT TO SAID CASING AT THE BOTTOM SIDE THEREOF, A SHOOTING TRIGGER DOWNWARDLY PROTRUDING FROM SAID HOUSING AND PIVOTALLY MOVABLE FOR RELEASING SAID FORCE-STORER MEANS, A COCKING LEVER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING AND ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID STORER MEANS, SAID LEVER HAVING A TRIGGER-LIKE ACTUATOR MEMBER PROTRUDING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID HOUSING NEAR SAID SHOOTING TRIGGER AND PULLABLE TO THE REAR FOR CHARGING SAID FORCE-STORER MEANS, SAID ACTUATOR MEMBER BEING LO- 